Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-01-07
-A'NIGHY IN 4 Church,
BY MAJoR INNEs RANDOLPH.
IFrom the Baltimore American. /

IIOul lut DdlllulOlt AulCllCdus .
Some years ago was travelling
on horseback from Richmond to-
ward Williamsburg, along the Old
Stage Road, when / was overtaken
by storm. 1t was late in Septem-
Der, and the weather had been de-
lightful F.; but on this evening it had
gathered up with threatenings OF
an equinoctial tempest, and had
turned quite chilly. pushed on,
hoping to make my next stopping
place before the rain began to fall,
but by nightfall it became sudden
~ very dark, and the lightning
and thunder we're terrific. The
first big drops were beginning to
TALL, and thought no escape from
o long ride in drenching rain was
possible, when a flash of lightning
showed me an old ruined church,
not far from the road. | put my
horse into a gallOp, and reached it
Just as the rain became violent
There was no door, aud not only
entered myself, but led my horse
in, hoping 10 keep him and the
saddle dry until the storm had
blown over.
The roof was ruinOus, and the
glare of the lightning shone
through. There was no glass in
the windows. and it was not easy
to find a dry place. Yet, IN ono
corner near the door there was a
heap of dead leaves, driven IN by
the summer winds, and on these l
half reclined, looking out at the
storm.
1t was a desolate.lOOking place.
In the churcbyard the old NOISY
gravestones leaned this way and
that, and little pools Of water be-
ganIto form in the low places. A
plank from the Notwithstanding
hung down by one nail from the
front of the church and clapDed
with a hollow sound against the
wall. A leaileSs old tree bent over
against the house, and with long
skeleton finger tapped mysteri-
OusIy at the gable, and seemed to
whisper that it could tell dark
things. had recently been seri-
ouslv sick, and my nerves had not
recovered their full tone, and some
how the uncanny dreariness Of the
place was depressing to me. If l.
had not dreaded the effect of a
long ride in wet clothes, | would
have braved the tempest, rather
than submitted to the gloom that
began to press upon me. The chill
blasts of the storm seemed to 60
to the marrow of my bones. |
reused myself and tried to shake
of the weird influence of the place;
recited to myself passages from
"Tam O'Shanter," and the ride Of
that devil.may.care hero by the
witch haunted Church of AllOWay,
and hummed an old college song
to keep my spirits up. Good God,
what was that
A low, shudderiDg cry, more like
terror than PAIN, thrilled through
the darkness of the church. My
pulses stood still. | strained my
ears, listening for the repetition,
bat mo sound came. except the
tapping of the bOny finger
of the old sycamore, and
the ,patter of the rain. "Non-
senseg' l said TO myself; sit was
nothing but the wind moaning
through some crevice Of the old
ruin" 1 knew that my nerves
were unstrung, but my courage was
not gone.
Bot my horse was not so easily
rebuked. He stood trembling
aud staring with CLASSY eyes into
The darkness. Horses see in the
dark better than men, and my
horse saw something that terrified
him. l patted his neck and spoke
soothingly to him, and he soon be-
came quiet. This cOmpanionship
with the horse diverted my thoughts
from the dreary surroundings and
strengthened me. l looked out at
the gale, now at Its fercest. The
lightning was awful. Everyone
must have noticed bow much more
intense is thepower of vision during
a fash of lightning than during an
equal time Of daylight. 1t is
wonderful how much detail the eye |
will take in during one of these |
small fractions of a second. l was
reading one of the gravestOnes ain
Memory Of" when from behind |
another stone, not in the line of
vision, | saw, or thought that l
saw, out OF the corner of the eye a
tall, white figure rise, gibber at me, |
suddenly stOOp down and disap- |
pear. In another fash l looked |
directly at the stone, but there was |
nothing there. A dumb chill ran |
through me. / could not resist it.
But scOrned myself. 1t is moth |
ing, said, but phantasm, Great
ed by my excited nerves. The idea |
Of my shuddering at ghost, l !
said, is absurd. shall laugh at it |
all. tomorrow. l have not the |
slightest belief in disembodied |
spirits, nor in witches, nor foul
fiends, and my fancy shall not play
me any FRANKS.
NVb,fo I zoe toIf,tr,, fb,e IN mn,